In a bid to bolster its effort in the filed of artificial intelligence, Intel has acquired deep learning startup Nervana Systems. The duo did not reveal the exact financial terms of the deal, but as per sources from Re/Code, it is sealed at around $408 million.
Nervana will continue all existing development efforts including the Nervana Neon deep learning framework, Nervana deep learning platform, and the Nervana Engine deep learning hardware. Nervana Systems was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in San Diego, California. It is led by former Qualcomm researcher Naveen Rao. Nervana said it intends to retain its talent, brand and “start-up mentality.
Intel said in a blog post,
We will apply Nervana’s software expertise to further optimize the Intel Math Kernel Library and its integration into industry standard frameworks. Nervana’s Engine and silicon expertise will advance Intel’s AI portfolio and enhance the deep learning performance and TCO of our Intel Xeon and Intel Xeon Phi processors.
Nervana said in a blog post,
We will look back in 10 years and see this time as the inflection point of when compute architectures became neural. The semiconductor integrated circuit is one of humanity’s crowning achievements and Intel has the best semiconductor technology in the world. Nervana’s AI expertise combined with Intel’s capabilities and huge market reach will allow us to realize our vision and create something truly special.